The present disclosure relates to a fuel system component, and particularly to a fuel tank valve assembly for venting a fuel tank made of a polymeric material. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a weldable mount that is adapted to be welded to a fuel tank to mount a fuel tank valve assembly in a fixed position in an aperture formed in a top wall of the fuel tank.
According to the present disclosure, a vent apparatus includes a valve assembly and a tank mount. The valve assembly includes a valve housing made of a non-weldable plastics material and a valve arranged to move within an interior region formed in the valve housing to open and close a vent aperture formed in the valve housing. The tank mount is made of a weldable plastics material and adapted to support the valve housing within a mounting aperture formed in a fuel tank so as to vent the fuel tank via the valve assembly.
The tank mount includes an annular base adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank and a housing mount appended to the annular base. The tank mount further includes a plurality of annular flanges appended to an exterior surface of the housing mount. The annular flanges are arranged to lie in series in spaced-apart relation to one another and in mating relation to an outer portion of the valve housing to define a labyrinthine boundary between the tank mount and the outer portion of the valve housing.
In one embodiment, the valve housing includes a cylindrical chamber portion defining the interior region containing the movable valve. The outer portion of the valve housing is coupled to the top end of the cylindrical chamber portion and is formed to include the vent aperture. The outer portion includes a top wall overlying the housing mount and mating with some of the annular flanges and a side wall surrounding the housing mount and mating with others of the annular flanges. The valve housing further includes a venting outlet coupled to the top wall of the outer portion and provided to conduct fuel vapor from the interior region of the chamber portion through the vent aperture to a destination outside the valve housing.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of the disclosure exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.